Research

OpenPA is a resource for HP PA-RISC and IA64 computers with in-depth technical descriptions and background information. This site is independent of and does not represent The Hewlett Packard Company in any way. Hardware details of the PA-RISC platform are in the hardware section; the computers section describes individual PA-RISC and IA64 computer systems, which can also be directly accessed via Shortcuts (i.e., http://www.openpa.net/model). PA-RISC operating systems are detailed in the software section.

This web site is devoted to the history of test equipment produced by the Hewlett-Packard Company which is now known as Agilent Technologies. I own a huge collection of vintage Hewlett-Packard test equipment, catalogs, equipment manuals, and Hewlett-Packard Journals. I own such classics as the HP200A, HP200B, HP200C, HP200D, HP200H, HP201B, HP202D, HP410A, HP500A, and many more (a rough count indicated over 450 pieces of which about 100 are duplicates). I also own probably one of the few still existing HP210A square wave generators.

LINUX is a free unix-like kernel for 386-AT computers, coming with full source code. It is meant for hackers/computer science students to use, learn and enjoy. It is written mostly in C, but parts of it are in gnu-format assembler, and the boot-sequence is in intel 086 assembly language. The C-code is relatively ANSI, with a few GNU enhancements (mostly __asm__ and inline).

ClassicCmp is a resource for enthusiasts of classic computer hardware, software, and documentation. ClassicCmp's goals are: •to enable communication between members of the enthusiast community; •to safely archive software, documentation, and other useful data (not yet implemented); and, •to provide a comprehensive starting point for web browsing and research (not yet implemented). ClassicCmp began as a mailing list on March 13, 1997 and has since evolved into an online community with nearly a thousand members worldwide. Today, ClassicCmp is the world's largest organization of its kind and is home to many of the most prominent enthusiasts.

This site is the virtual showcase of a private collection of equipment and documents acquired over a lifetime career of work in the high-tech era of the 20th Century. The overall HP Memory Project is a work of gratitude from one of the many people who had the good fortune to spend a full professional life working for one of the world's most successful High-Tech Companies, the Hewlett-Packard Co. HP was one of the very few Companies in which the frame of mind of the founders, David Packard and William Hewlett, grew from their cooperative philosophy of life into a model of a wonderful way of management...The HP Way.

In 1968 Hewlett-Packard introduced the 9100A calculator, a programmable reverse-polish notation (RPN) computing machine that could rapidly perform floating point, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions as well as vector and polar operations. It came with a built-in magnetic card reader/writer for program and data storage. It used a CRT (cathode ray tube) for display of three data registers.

1623: Mechanical calculator Wilhelm Schickard invented first known mechanical calculator, capable of simple arithmetic. Similar mechanical adding machine made in 1640’s by Blaise Pascal. Still on display in Paris.

I produced this lecture several years ago. History is history so most of what's said is still accurate. The links to many of the historical figures change from time to time . . . if a link does not work let me know and I will fix it. Check out Moore's Law as a matter of curiosity.

Different devices and tools have been used in calculation and processing of data. An ancient calculating device is the abacus, a mechanical calculating device first used around 2500 BC to add and subtract. Scientists and mathematicians later sought other means of calculations.

Decode Systems is a consultancy and information resource center for various communication, computer, and electronic subjects.